


About a Year Ago

by QueenImmadolla



Category: The Holiday (2006)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-23
Updated: 2020-08-23
Packaged: 2021-03-06 15:54:07
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,646
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26061478
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/QueenImmadolla/pseuds/QueenImmadolla
Summary: "He was distantly reminded of how familiar this was, and yet how entirely different the situations were." Miles reflects on the differences of Christmas time last year, and of the present.
Relationships: Miles Dumont/Iris Simpkins
Comments: 2
Kudos: 27





	About a Year Ago

**Author's Note:**

> I had seen this movie in the past as a kid and then as a teenager, and had enjoyed it, but now being a woman in her twenties, I find myself able to actually and truly appreciate it. Iris and Miles' story line was particularly enchanting, especially considering the fact that I've just recently rewatched it 4 times today because I've found myself in a similar situation to the one Iris desperately tried to escape. Like her, I too am looking for some corny in my life and I've read through all this website has to offer with anything involving these two so I've decided to add some more. I've looked over this several times, but I have a knack for missing the obvious, so if you notice any errors, please let me know and I'll spruce it right up. I hope this makes anyone who needs it feel as light weight and free as the movie made me feel.

Miles’ fingers glided effortlessly over the keyboard, melody in time with the motion picture displayed on one of his monitors. Another film he and Ethan were scoring that was due to release sometime this spring. It was…breezy. It flowed, light, enchanting and comforting. Much like the woman his gaze was focused on. He was distantly reminded of how familiar this was, and yet how entirely different the situations were. 

About a year ago, he was sat in the same chair, scoring for a romance movie that didn’t really perform well in theaters—but his score was praised so he didn’t really care about that. The movie was alright in his opinion, but it wasn’t one that would ever make Arthur’s list of great creations. Too much predictability and not enough corniness to get away with it. He was staring at a woman then too, his girlfriend at the time, Maggie. Ironically, she was on the phone with her other boyfriend and he hadn’t even known. Go figure. 

But that’s where the similarities stopped. Back then, he had been willingly blind. Blissfully ignoring every red flag waved in front of his face in favor of literally anything else but that.   
Now, he was staring at his girlfriend, who was spread out on the couch across from his desk, thoroughly lost in whatever book she was reading. He glanced down at the item in her hand. Breakfast at Tiffany’s. Yikes. They’d watched the movie recently—she’d told him she’d seen it before when she was a little girl but hadn’t since then—and she, like any decent human being, hadn’t been fond of Mr. Yunioshi’s very racist portrayal. Arthur had informed them that he and a couple of his friends had tried to talk Mickey Rooney out of it before it was filmed, but the man was stubborn and ignorant. Still, Iris had loved every other aspect of the movie, and had purchased the book with hopes that not being able to see the racist portrayal would make it better. He hadn’t had the heart to tell her how vastly different it was from the movie but judging by how deep set her scowl was and the furrow of her brows, she was probably coming to that very conclusion.

God, she was adorable. No, she was light. Enchanting. Comforting, and yup most definitely bleeding into his music. His muse. Absolutely beautiful. 

Completely out of his league, too. But that was obvious to anyone who saw them. He’d been briefly insecure about it at the start of their relationship, but that hadn’t lasted for long because what was also apparent to anyone who saw them, was how much she loved him. Hell, his heart nearly fell out of his ass every time she looked at him because he could see it. He could see how much she loved him right in those beautiful blue eyes of hers. How fucking crazy was that? That shit was right out of the romance movies and he loved it so much. He loved her so much. 

Despite the discontent slapped on her face, she looked completely at ease, and he was always thankful for that. She was comfortable around him, he’d been afraid it would be hard keeping up a relationship on different continents, but the love gods had been surprisingly nice to them. He’d spent New Year’s Eve and New Years with Iris and her brother’s family, which now included Amanda. Then she had come over to celebrate Valentine’s day with him. One perk that came with her job was that she could write from basically anywhere in the world, so long as it got back to the office in time to be published. She had told him she had never really had a reason to explore that perk before him and she took full advantage of it, staying until mid March before she went back to Surrey. That had been the best month of his life. Every single second with her was wondrous. There was never a boring moment when she was around. The sex was fanfuckingtastic, too. 

After that, her stays had become more frequent, and while he had flown over to England quite a few times, she had told him she preferred to be in Los Angeles with him. There was a lot more to do, they could spend time with Arthur and the boys, and she was establishing a lot of connections with various journalists. By June she was staying with him every other month and by November she had brought up moving to LA permanently and getting her green card, exchanging her job with her local paper in favor of the LA Times since she’d applied for a position. Last week, they’d called her to inform her she got the job. 

But he knew her. She’d take the job of course, however, she had mentioned how much she loved reading over Arthur’s screenplays and he saw how she’d lose herself in every movie and book she read. It was just a matter of time before she considered writing a screenplay and he was ready to provide nothing but encouragement. She’d make he and Arthur proud. She already did. Hell, maybe she’d even let him score. For one of her movies. Though, he was always ecstatic when she let him score other things.

It was funny, she always lost herself in fictional worlds, and he always lost himself in her. It was hard not to. He couldn’t be blamed for it, she was addicting. He never knew how much he need someone that positive in his life. The good girl. Miles had actually landed the good girl. He had no clue how he did—he sent Amanda a stellar birthday gift for having gone on her home exchange thing when she did—but he was thankful. 

Almost a year ago, he’d been sat in this chair, scoring a movie and staring at a woman. A year later, he was sat in this chair, scoring a movie and staring at a woman. Only this time, it was different because while he stared at her, he was imagining how this Christmas would play out. And it did not involve finding her in the arms of another man. Jasper—the stupid jerk—was a bump in the past that he never worried about because she always assured him that he wasn’t even on Iris’s radar. Her radar was solely a Miles Radar. God, she was corny. 

Anyways, this Christmas involved Graham and his girls flying out to spend the holiday with Amanda. He and Iris would join them, of course, and they had already invited Arthur so he wouldn’t be alone this Christmas. Miles had a feeling Arthur would be with them every Christmas he had left in him. The man was family now. So much, that Miles had asked him for advise on exactly what the rest of his Christmas plans entailed. And he’d gotten the reassurance he was looking for.

They’d watch cheesy Christmas movies, sing cheesy Christmas songs, dance, and laugh. Then Miles would pull Iris aside, remind her about how different things had been last year. How it had been the start of them. And then he’d get on one knee and put the ring he had currently hidden in a sock in his drawer to good use because he didn’t want them to ever have an end. 

He knew she’d say yes. Her saying no wasn’t a fear for him, because Miles knew exactly how solid of a relationship they had. They were ready. But he was nervous about her settling for him. In the end, Arthur’s words about how ‘settling’ for someone who made her the happiest she’d ever been wasn’t a bad thing won him over. Iris made him the happiest he’d ever been, too. 

“Hello? Anyone in there?”

Miles blinked a couple of times, realizing his fingers had stopped moving over the keys as the last note had already played out moments ago with the movie scene having faded to black. Iris had probably chosen that moment to get up and speak to him. She was right beside him, hip leaning on the corner of his desk as she stared right back at him with amusement glinting in her eyes. “Huh? Oh, sorry, baby, I got a little lost in the music. What were you saying?”

She laughed, a hand reaching out to rub his shoulder. “I was commenting on the weather,” She gestured to the windows, the branches of the trees surrounding that part of the house were rocking wildly in the wind. 

“Very gusty out there, huh?” He commented with a smirk, he knew how much she loved a good breeze. Even when it was 17 miles per hour and just straight up wild weather and not at all breeze like.

“Mhm,” She pushed herself off the desk and leaned down to give him a kiss—which he more than happily and very throughly reciprocated—before making her way to the door. “I think I’m going to go for a jog and enjoy it. It is officially crazy weather.”

He knew exactly what she was doing. And that right there? That’s the type of shit that had his heart aching in the most wonderful of ways. “Don’t blow away!” He called after her and was rewarded with a dazzling smile thrown over her shoulder accompanied with a finger gun. 

He gave her a wink, leaning back in his chair, and watched her disappear up the stairs.

So again, about a year ago, it was Christmas time and he was sat in the same chair staring at a woman who didn’t really love him. This year, he was sat in the same chair, staring at a woman who would soon be his fiancee and wife. Christmas Day couldn’t come fast enough.


End file.
